Dutch cuisine is varied and delicious.
From piping hot street snacks, heart-warming stews, thick tasty soups and lots
of different Indonesian foods because of the country's
colonial past, to the vast pancakes (and tiny pancakes), pies filled with
spiced apples and, of course, raw herrings – there are many foods to enjoy in
the Netherlands. Here are just 10 Dutch foods to try.
Pannenkoeken (sweet and
savoury)
Pannenkoeken are delicious Dutch pancakes, which are often
eaten with sweet and/or savoury foods like slices of bacon, apples, cheese,
raisins, stroop (a treacly Dutch syrup), chocolate, an apple sauce called
appelstroop, icing/powdered sugar, nuts – and even smoked salmon and crème
fraiche. Usually much thinner than an American or a Scotch pancake – more like
the traditional English pancake – they can also be huge. They're made from a
batter of flour (sometimes buckwheat), milk, eggs and salt, and cooked quickly
over a pan on a high heat. They can be eaten as a main course for lunch or
dinner – or as a dessert. They're often served flat and eaten with cutlery, or
rolled up and eaten with your fingers. There are pancake restaurants all over
the Netherlands or you can make them yourself at home: take turns flipping huge
pannenkoekens over – it's fun!
Erwtensoep
Erwtensoep is a thick pea soup – so thick that some say you
should be able to stand a spoon up in it – and it's really a meal in itself.
It's made from dried split green peas and other vegetables, such as celery or
celeriac, onions, leeks, carrots and potatoes, plus different cuts of pork,
with slices of smoked sausage added in just before serving. It's often eaten
with a rye bread (roggebrood) topped with a type of smoked bacon called
katenspek, cheese and butter. Erwtensoep is traditionally eaten on New Year's
Day but it's welcome on any cold winter day – you'll often see skaters
alongside the frozen canals warming themselves up with some hot and delicious
snert, which is one-day old soup.
Appeltaart
The Dutch have been enjoying appelltaart or apple pie for
centuries – the first printed cookbook dating back to 1514 contains a recipe
for one! An appeltaart is a deep pie with a pastry top and bottom (unlike the
French apple tarts which are open), filled with a mixture of slices or pieces
of apple (often using a slightly tart variety called goudreinet), sugar,
cinnamon and lemon juice. Sometimes raisins or currants are added, too.
Traditionally, the top of the pie is made from an attractive lattice of pastry
strips, so you can see the filling through it. Enjoy it served with whipped
cream (met slagroom) and a cup of coffee (koffie).
Bami Goreng
Back in the 17th century, the Netherlands was an important
colonial power ruling the world's spice trade. The jewel in its crown was Indonesia,
and when the Dutch East India Company went bust in the 19th century, Indonesia
became a Dutch colony. Today, Indonesian food is almost synonymous with Dutch
and there are Indonesian restaurants everywhere. Nearly all of them will have
bamigoreng on the menu – stir-fried egg noodles with garlic, onion, vegetables,
meat, egg and chilli. Other Indonesian specialties to look out for include
rendang (meat in coconut and spices), rijsttafel (rice with lots of small
dishes of spiced meat and vegetables) and a spiced layer cake called spekkoek.
Bitterballen
If you're in a café or bar anywhere in the Netherlands, then
be sure to ask for bitterballen. These little meatballs are often served as
part of a bittergarnituur, a selection of savoury snacks – bite-sized Gouda
cheese, tiny egg rolls, sliced local sausage – to accompany drinks.
Bitterballen are made from a mixture of chopped beef (or chicken, veal or
mushrooms for a veggie option), which is cooked in broth, flour, butter and
herbs. After chilling the mixture to firm it, it's then rolled into small
balls, coated with breadcrumbs and deep fried until crisp and golden. They are
delicious dipped in grainy or spiced mustard.
Poffertjes
These tiny fluffy pancakes are made with yeast and buckwheat
flour, have a light, spongy texture and are served with icing/powdered sugar,
butter and sometimes stroop syrup. During the cold season and at festivals and
fairs, you can buy them from food stalls and eat them with a little fork in the
street. They're usually cooked in special poffertjes pans, which have lots of
shallow indentations in them – but if you're making them at home you can drop
small spoonfuls of the batter onto a drying pan or skillet and carefully turn
them over to cook the other side.
Oliebollen
These are the Dutch version of doughnuts. They are
traditionally eaten on New Year's Eve but you'll find them sold on street
stalls throughout the cold winter months. The word oliebollen means ‘oil balls'
but don't let that put you off – while they are deep-fried (like doughnuts),
they are totally moreish. The dough, which has sugar and lemon zest added to
it, may or may not contain sultanas or other dried fruit, but the finished
oliebollen should always be covered with plenty of icing/powdered sugar (don't
treat yourself on your way to an important meeting!) Eat them hot, straight
from the food stall, or cold, with a cup of coffee (koffie).
Hollandse nieuwe haring
This soused herring, served with chopped raw onions and with
or without bread, can be only called Hollandse nieuwe haring if caught between
the months of May and July, when the fish has fattened up by the ideal amount.
Strictly speaking, that means a minimum of 16 percent fat. Traditionally,
fishermen clean and gut the fish at sea (leaving in the pancreas so that
enzymes allow the fish to ‘mature') and then preserve them in brine (this is
the ‘sousing'). Every year, fishing boats are decorated with flags on Flag Day
(Vlaggetjesdag), when the first fish of the year are brought in. To eat haring the
Dutch way, hold the fish by the tail, throw your head back, open your mouth and
let the fish slide in! Or if you prefer, you can eat it in a sandwich called a
broodje haring.
Stamppot
This may not be the most sophisticated dish you'll ever eat
but it's a satisfying, nutritious and delicious dish which will really warm you
up on a cold winter's night. It's simply mashed potato mixed together with
different (also mashed) vegetables and usually served with a smoked sausage and
some gravy. There are lots of different versions of stamppot: boerenkool
(kale), zuurkool (sauerkraut), hutspot (onions and carrots) and rauweandijvie
(endive) – each one perfect for comfort food.
Sate
Sate is an Indonesian food that has become an integral part
of Dutch cuisine. It's a dish of skewered seasoned meat – chicken, pork, beef – served with a thick
peanut sauce, which is made from a sweet soy sauce called ketjapmanis, peanut
butter and an Indonesian chilli sauce called sambaloelek. While you might have
had sate (or satay) before in another country, the chances are that you won't
have enjoyed it quite like they do in the Netherlands – served on top of chips
(French fries), a bit like mayonnaise or ketchup.
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